On September 13th, the world of fashion came together once again for its biggest night of the year. The annual Met Gala is greatly anticipated every year, and even more so for 2021 after skipping 2020 due to Covid-19. 

The Met Gala is a collaboration between Vogue Magazine and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where top celebrities come together in intricate fashions to fundraise exhibits for the Met. Every year plays host to a new theme, some examples being Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, Camp: Notes on Fashion, and Punk: Chaos to Couture. 

This year, Vogue decided to re-examine the concept of American fashion, with the theme In America: a Lexicon of Fashion. Supporting their theme, Vogue claims that “American designers are at the forefront of conversations around diversity, inclusivity, sustainability, gender fluidity, and body positivity,” The Met exhibit also kept pace with the theme by examining the question of “Who gets to be American?” The event was co-chaired by actor Timothee Chalamet, singer Billie Eilish, poet Amanda Gorman, and star tennis player Naomi Osaka. 

Celebrities in attendance not only sought to boast intricate fashion, but to convey a deeper meaning through their dress. Eilish, dressed in Oscar de la Renta, was able to persuade the brand to stop using animal fur in their pieces. Actor Dan Levy arrived in a flamboyant Loewe piece depicting two men embracing. Levy paid tribute to AIDS activist and artist David Wojnarowicz, whose works defined the intersection of art and AIDS awareness in the 1980s. Model Quannah Chasinghorse arrived in a Native American inspired dress, complete with turquoise jewelry. As a native woman, Chasinghorse expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to showcase her culture saying, “It’s extremely special that I was able to showcase beautiful TRUE (native) American “culture”. I did not celebrate American independence(nor will I ever), I celebrated my indigenous bloodlines coursing through my veins as I hold so close and sacred to my heart because over and over again my people fought genocide and WE ARE STILL HERE!” Chasinghorse is just one of the many stars who were able to showcase their culture as Americans and how it had shaped them.

 For others, the Gala was simply to illustrate the individuality of what American fashion is. Walking through the streets of New York City on Instagram Live, Chalamet dressed in a monochromatic look, highlighted with simple yet iconic Converse high tops. One of the most talked about moments came from one of the most polarizing personalities in pop-culture: Kim Kardashian. Donning a black getup of stretchy material covering her whole body, Kardashian teased on instagram, “What’s more American than a T-shirt head to toe?!” 

The Met’s exhibit for In America: a Lexicon of Fashion opened on September 18th, displaying a look into the event’s identity, including their 12 themes they believe are a metaphor for what America is: Nostalgia, Belonging, Delight, Joy, Wonder, Affinity, Confidence, Strength, Desire, Assurance, Comfort, and Consciousness. It will be open through September 5th, 2022.